A Moment's Reprieve
by TH3L0N3W01F
Summary: On a particularly lonely night in Babylon Gardens, a certain canine finds himself in desperate need of someone to make sure he doesn't drown in his own thoughts feelings. can a lavender cat be the one to ensure this? especially considering his problems in controlling said feelings stem from his desire to be with her. (Grapenut, one-shot)
1. Chapter 1

A long time.

That's all that the cinnamon furred Canadian pointer could think as he sat on the couch staring at the TV in front of him. He had lost count of how many times his movie had repeated itself as he sat lost in his thoughts, his emotions lapping at his heart like waves against the coast, eroding it in much the same way.

For Peanut, tonight wasn't just any old night. No, for Peanut, tonight was a night of sorrow. A night of anguish. A night of love lost and hearts broken. More specifically, his heart.

The dog absentmindedly rubbed over his shiny tag hanging from his red collar, the metal having long become warm, showing just how long the pup's pensive state had lasted. How long exactly?

A long time.

Peanut slowly moved his free paw to wipe away some of the moisture that had accumulated in the fur just beneath his eyes before reaching to his side to grab a tissue from the box of Tish, You! Tissues he had brought to dry his eyes during the more sorrowful scenes in his movie, yet had found himself almost emptying the entire box for completely different reasons altogether.

He blew his nose into the tissue and threw it to his side, allowing it to join a large pile of tissues he had accrued on the couch over the hours of silently wiping away the ebbing and flowing tears falling from his eyes to make their way through his fur as though they were a river, carving a valley over the period of thousands of years.

As Peanut's movie once again drew to a close, he sighed with a heavy heart and reached to his side once more, taking the remote control for the TV in front of him and switching it off, plunging the room into a complete and total darkness, with a silence to match.

With a deep breath, Peanut began to collect his thoughts and focus on the near future rather than wishful dreams of what could have been.

Namely, Grape would be home very soon, if the digital clock that sat just beneath the TV had anything to say about it. She had left with max, that charming, theatrical, thrill seeking cat almost five hours ago, and it was nearing the middle of the night, the digital clock reading a bold "4:30" in it's stark red colour.

At the very thought of the lavender cat, Peanut almost had to reach for another of his tissues. Instead, he steadied himself and took a deep breath, his bottom lip quivering as he was once again on the precipice of allowing his emotions to overflow and consume his every thought.

In order to ensure this would not happen, he made himself busy. He quickly hopped off of the green sofa which he had been residing all night and scooped up each and every one of his used tissues before taking them into the kitchen and depositing them in the trash. he clapped his paws together and placed them on his hips, a slight smile cracking his muzzle for the first time tonight. Giggling to himself, he commented "I am the trash man!"

What little happiness he had was but a fleeting memory as the high of his own little joke wore off quickly, leaving him standing alone, in the dark, in a home where not one other soul was awake to console him, to help him, to let him have just one moment's reprieve from the feelings which tormented him so relentlessly.

The cinnamon furred pooch shuffled back into the other room and took his seat on the sofa again, his paw returning to its place upon his chest, gently thumbing over his tag. Alone with his thoughts, no TV blaring a Don Bluth movie to distract him, Peanut fell once again into his own thoughts.

Deciding it would be best not to cry once again and result in another pile of tissues on the couch, he thought instead of what his best friend was doing.

'Hah,' he thought to himself, accompanied by a low chuckle, 'best friend, and that's all you ever will be, cat-lover.' a small voice in his head told him with venom to rival that of the deadliest viper. The canine shook his head to rid it of those awful thoughts and terrible voice, clearing his mind's eye to make room for more pleasant images.

He closed his eyes and imagined Grape, standing there, in the room with him, smiling. "Hey, Peanut! How was your night?" she asked him, her voice sounded angelic and held an almost dreamlike aura to it. Peanut slowly formed a grin, splitting his muzzle in two. This was his imagination, his own little world right? What would be the harm of imagining what he truly wanted?

'You can create wishful fantasies all you like, mutt. Doesn't change the fact that she's with Maxwell and not you. Her mind is made up.' the grin quickly faded into a sad whimper, his free paw clenching into a fist as he was becoming more and more upset at the little voice in his head, rational as it may be.

"It could have gone better, I didn't remember how sad the ending to all dogs go to heaven was! I needed almost an entire box of tissues just to contain myself!" Peanut replied to his imaginary Grape, smiling softly and patting the couch beside him. Without having to be told twice, the feline quickly hopped up beside the canine and leaned her head against his shoulder, a low purr rolling from her chest.

"Aww, my poor Nutty, do you need some hugs to help cheer you up?" asked the figment of his imagination, looking up to him with beautiful yellow eyes that showed nothing but care and compassion, no malice or attempts to trick him detected at all.

Even though the scenario was only playing out in his head, Peanut still felt himself blush and a smile slipped onto his muzzle as he nodded his head. "Yeah, Grape, I would love some cuddles. They would really help cheer me up!"

If someone were to see Peanut in the very next moment, one may have assumed he'd turned into a ghost. All colour had drained from his cheeks, and his fur very nearly followed suit as he found himself in a situation he had not planned for that night.

"And why, exactly, do you need cheering up, Peanut?" asked Grape. Not his imaginary Grape whom he had thought up to try and cheer himself up on that lonely, sad night, but his real Grape, in the flesh, standing in the doorway of the living room, cleary having just returned from her outing with max.

Her arms were crossed over her chest, and her eyes held a deep look of concern for the dog in front of her.

"G-Grape! I-I u-uhh… I didn't expect you to be home s-so soon! H-how did your date with max go?" attempted the canine, hoping his question would subvert her request for an answer to her own. It was too bad the the feline had the smarts to mach her looks

"Nuh-uh, doggy. You tell me what's wrong this instant or I'll come over there and extract the information myself. Lovingly, of course" she said, slyly flexing her paw to show off her claws. Peanut knew she wouldn't hurt him even if he didn't tell her, she just wanted to get the point across that the conversation was going nowhere until she had her answer.

"I-I've just been thinking for most of the night, I've been a little...overwhelmed and don't know what to do…" admitted the dog in a voice no louder than a mouse, though that statement was difficult to use broadly seeing as spo was on of the loudest creatures in the whole of babylon gardens.

Grape made her way closer to the dejected looking pooch sat on the sofa as her arms slowly uncrossed and went to her sides, her eyes taking a much softer look and even her movements were slow and gentle. "Well, What's up? Why are you feeling so overwhel-" she cut herself short as she came close enough to see his face, her soft eyes quickly morphing into those of a worried, feline. She jumped up on the couch and tenderly took the canine's face in her paws, stroking over his furred cheeks with her thumbs.

"Peanut, Have you been crying?" she asked, her voice laced with concern and tenderness he had rarely ever seen from the tomboying cat. "W-well yeah, I was watching all dogs go to heaven and I-" he himself was cut short as Grape shook her head and looked him dead in the eyes "I know you Peanut, you've watched the movie thousands of times and it has never gotten you in this state. Please tell me whats wrong, I just want to help you Nutty…" she said, her voice as soft and smooth as silk as it danced around his ears, causing butterflies to form in his stomach.

He knew there was no point in attempting to lie to his cat, but what could he say to her? Could he just tell her he loved her with every fiber of his canine being, that he burned and longed to be with her every second of every day? That his heart belonged to her and her alone?

All these thoughts and more crossed Peanuts mind simultaneously before he sighed and shook his head, deciding upon his ultimatum. He would say nothing. His inner turmoil could not be summed up into simple words. Instead, he did the unthinkable.

Peanut took advantage of their position, his fface cupped by her paws, their faces so close to one another as she tried to console him. He pushed forward, surprising the feline in front of him immensely as his muzzle connected with hers.

Much to his surprise, she hadn't pulled away, or acted surprised, or tried to kill him yet. Taking this as a good sign, he tried his luck. He pushed forward more, giving more of himself to the kiss and allowing his emotions to be put on display for his feline to see. He couldn't tell her in words how he felt, but an action, spoke far louder than any word could.

Grape allowed the kiss to continue for as long as her sweet dog wanted it to, which turned out to be almost two minutes. Her eyes were half lidded as the kiss drew to a close. Her need for oxygen almost forcing her to break the kiss early. As both she and Peanut withdrew from the kiss, she tried her best to speak, to question the pup in front of her

"Peanut, I don't under-" she was silenced by his lips against hers once again, with slightly less force behind it than last time. This kiss lasted a dramatically shorter length of time and as Peanut drew back, he maneuvered his paws down to Grapes midsection, pulling her towards him as he leaned backwards into the couch, finishing with the lavender feline being wrapped in a tight hug, Peanut nuzzling into the fur on her shoulder as he took deep breaths and squeezed her tight, as though if he let her go, she would disappear into thin air.

"Please… Please just let me have this moment…" He pleaded in a voice barely louder than a whisper. The only response Grape offered was one she knew the dog had wanted. She nodded and remained silent, her own paws coming around his sides and pulling him into her warm, soft fur.

The night had started off as a night of sorrow, and of heartbreak for young Peanut Butter Sandwich. And now, it had ended with the mend of that broken heart, the destruction of that sorrow to be replaced with pure joy and happiness.

And maybe, just maybe, the spark of something more than just friends.

Grape smiled as she held her canine companion to her, feeling his body slowly going limp and giving in to the exhaustion his warring emotions had caused him all night, falling into a peaceful slumber resting against his cat.

She shifted herself slightly in the sofa to allow him a more comfortable position to lay as she caressed his back, never once daring to break their tight embrace.

At the end of the night, Grape had come home expecting to lay down in bed and growl to herself about how horribly her date with that no good showoff Max had gone. Instead, she had found her sweet Nutty in a time of need.

And when he needed it the most? She was there for him.

There to give him some direction as he was lost in his own thoughts.

There to give him something he needed.

There to give him…

A Moment's Reprieve.


	2. Chapter 2

Now, Don't get me wrong. I don't hate Max. I really love him as a character. I just think of him as this hotshot dramatic cat who sort of gets a little out of hand when annoyed.

without further adieu! A Moment's Reprieve part 2!

_

The morning after rolled in quickly, seeing as both the little sandwiches had fallen asleep some time near five in the morning. Golden rays of sunshine filtered through the window that illuminated the entire living room including the two pets who lay sleeping soundly on the couch.

Grape was, surprisingly the first to wake. Usually she would sleep until noon, unless the sweet pup she was nestled into awoke her early for one of the many hundreds of reasons he finds to do so. Looking at the digital clock by the TV, she was surprised to find that it was nine in the morning. Why on earth had her internal alarm clock decided to wake her up so early, with such a little amount of sleep?

At the sound of gentle snoring, her eyes were drawn back to what she had her arms wrapped firmly around, a slight flush coming to her furred cheeks as she remembered the events of last night fondly, a smile making it's way on to her muzzle as she remembered just how brazen her pup had been

'My pup? What am I saying…' she thought to herself, never before had she called Peanut 'hers' and it was a little strange to her that she began calling him it now. She shook the thoughts from her head in order to focus once more on the canine cushion she had been using all night, murring softly to herself and bringing her head back down to rest in the crevice of his neck. Subconsciously, the feline found herself bringing a paw up to the other side of his neck and playing with the fluffy fur beneath his collar while she inhaled his scent deeply, enjoying the scent she had been so accustomed to at a level she didn't know she could.

'Why does he smell so… good~?' she mused to herself, less a question and more surprised statement, wondering how she had missed such an amazing scent. It was better than catnip! It was serene, it was intoxicating, it was amazing. She sighed wistfully as she nuzzled as deep into the fluffy neck as she could, taking the time before Peanut woke up to reflect over the events of the night prior.

The events of earlier in the night than the tender moment between her and Peanut coming through her mind. The date had been a simple premise. Head out to Heathcliff's, grab something to eat between them, and chat. It was a sort of getting to know one another kind of date. Yet when they had both arrived, Max made it clear he wasn't looking to take the time to get to know one another over a nice dinner.

Both cats had walked into the feline filled area, a smile on both of their faces as they chatted away innocently enough. "A table for two, myself and Ma Belle~" he spoke with a voice laced with the passion of a pure romantic at heart.

The feline behind the table, one of the Bigglesworths looked at Max as though he were from a different universe before speaking "You know, You worry me Max. Every other day there is a new 'Ma belle'" the cat ratted out the black feline with air quotes around his ma belle "but, if you really think this is gonna stick, then there's a table over there" finished the cream feline, returning to their reading material after pointing to a table located in the corner of the quaint restaurant.

Max looked displeased at best as he grabbed Grape by the paw and dragged her over to the isolated table, gaining a squeak of surprise from her. "M-Maxie!" she exclaimed as she took a seat facing her boyfriend. She felt slightly disheartened at the words of the Bigglesworth, though she was sure if she would just ask her cat that he would clear up the meaning of the servers words. She was just sure it was an inside joke at his theatrics, surely he wouldn't truly betray her like that…

Max kept his scowl on his features as he unwrapped his blue scarf from his neck and hung it over his chair before returning to the small crate they were using for a table and leaning his elbows on it, resting his head on his paws.

"So… A new Ma Belle every other day?" she asked, breaking the slightly awkward silence that had befallen the table. She was sure that he would play off the accusation as a joke, and honestly she would question it, he was a very dramatic kitty and had been nothing but faithful in her presence

The reaction she had received, however, went against every end to the scenario that she had thought up. He mreowled in an agitated manner, his tail flicking behind his back before looking up at his date and glaring daggers at her "What I do in my spare time, Grape, is none of your business and certainly isn't the business of that generic twit over there" he pointed lazily to the Bigglesworth twin sitting at the entrance to the place.

To say she was shocked was an understatement, not only had he essentially admitted that he was playing the field, but he had done it in such a brash manner, as if it didn't matter it was his girlfriend he was talking to.

"Excuse me?" she asked, straightening her back as her fur stood on end, a show of her anger at the revelation "As your girlfriend, I think I have every right to know what," she paused for a second, the next words slipping from her muzzle with a venom she didn't know she could manage "or WHO you do in your free time when I'm not around!"

It was now Max's turn to puff out his fur, straightening his own back in an almost challenging manner as he leaned over the table "yes, excuse you! I don't question what you and that mutt get up to when you're home alone all day. I let it be, because I respect your privacy and I'd appreciate if you did the same and dropped this subject."

That did it. Grape stood up with a fire in her eyes as she put both her paws on the desk and leaned into Maxwell's face. "What. Did. You. Just. Call. Peanut?" she asked with a tiger lurking just below her surface waiting for him to say the wrong thing, make the wrong move.

"A mutt. That's what I called him, because it's tru-!" Max attempted to speak as though he had the slightest clue what he was talking about, but he was silenced nigh immediately by the connection of Grape's paw and his cheek. She truly did like Max, so she spared him the pain of a scratch mark and sheathed her claws before the hit landed, but the sheer force was enough to knock Maxie clean out of his seat.

"You dare call him that again and next time I'll even out your head BY RIPPING BOTH OF YOUR EARS OFF!" She screamed, a rage overtaking her that she hadn't even known could exist. Everyone in Heathcliff's eyes were on the 'couple' as Max rubbed his cheek and looked up at the lavender cat in what seemed to be an apologetic manner. It would seem as though the slap had knocked some sense into him.

"Grape… I'm sorry, I didn't mean it. I didn't mean any of it. I was just annoyed the Bigglesworth tried to ruin our date, and I-" he was once again cut short by a loud hiss that sounded from the ferocious female. "You didn't need help from Bigglesworth to do that, you jerk! All you had to say was that he was joking around and this date could've gone fine. But you just had to defend your massive ego and INSULT my best friend in the whole world." she picked her scarf up from the back of her chair and turned to leave. Max reached his paw towards her "Grape! Wai-" once again he was cut short by his enraged date who shot him a death glare "I don't want to hear a word from you, Maxwell. Leave me alone and give me time to think." she spoke with a tongue as cold as ice before leaving the establishment, leaving all eyes on Max as he rubbed his cheek with a sigh, looking at the floor wondering how he could be such an idiot.

Grape's train of thought was broken from those events as the canine she was resting on began to stir from his sleep. His eyes opened slowly and groggily looked around, his lips smacking together as he yawned and attempted to stretch before he realised he was being weighed down by the body of a certain lavender kitty laying atop him.

"G-Grape..?" he asked, a little surprised that she had stayed with him all night rather than allowing him to fall asleep and retiring back to her own room. He was even more surprised that the feline had not only stayed with him, but had seemingly put herself in quite an intimate position, her muzzle buried rather deep into his neck and her paws resting on his neck and rubbing over one of his ears. A deep blush formed on his face as he leaned into the petting and rubbing of her paws, a feeling foreign yet exciting to him.

Grape removed her head from his neck and looked up to the canine who had addressed her. Her eyes widened slightly as she did so. The light coming in through the window behind the dog gave his fur a golden glow, it outlined his features and accentuated his eyes incredibly well. His flopped over ears still gave him that look of innocence, but the work of both the lighting of the room and his features made Peanut look "handsome…" she spoke aloud without even thinking, a blush lighting up like a fire across her face as she buried herself once again in his fur to avoid him seeing her blush

"I-I mean, good morning Nutty!" she spoke, her voice being muffled by his sweet smelling fur. Peanut smiled, having not heard the handsome comment, but at the fact she was using his pet name. He loved that name, it made him feel special to her, seeing as it was only her who called him that.

"Good morning, Grape. Did you sleep well?" Asked Peanut, his eyes wondering over his lavender companions form as she buried her head in his fur, blushing as thoughts of just how amazing she looked bathed in the golden light of the morning flooded his mind, his tail attempting to wag from it's spot trapped between himself and the sofa.

"Oh yeah, best sleep of my life," she commented, stretching out a little across his chest with a happy murr "though, it probably helps that my pillow was a fluffy puppy dog, hmm?" she added with a little giggle, removing her head from his fur to look up at him, though attempting not to be caught admiring his features too much.

"Almost as much as having a kitty cat blanket helps~" he shot back, giving her a wink and a chuckle. For a few moment, neither of the pets dared to break the golden silence that had enveloped the room, both deciding to just enjoy the sound of the other breathing, unknowingly resulting in the matching of their breaths. Slow, relaxed, wistful breaths being shared by the two. Everything in that moment seemed perfect to both the sandwich pets.

"About last night…" Peanut started, his content smile slipping into a sort of embarrassed frown as he was being forced to address what had happened the night prior. Before he even got the chance to continue though, he was silenced by the index finger of Grape against his muzzle, silently shushing him before beginning to talk herself.

"Nutty, you were upset and you needed just a little bit of comfort, and after last night I needed it too…" she spoke with her eyes looking down a little trying to make sure she didn't fall back into those memories. Quickly, she continued her comment before Peanut had a chance to as what she meant about last night "And when I came home last night and saw you the way you were? I had it in my right mind to cuddle you until you couldn't take it anymore. I'll admit, your move was a little… unexpected… but you want to know a secret, puppy dog?" she asked, looking innocently up at the sweet cinnamon dog

He nodded wordlessly, not knowing what to say to the reply of the lavender feline to his actions last night.

She giggled a little and looked into the canine's eyes with a half lidded look, whispering in a voice barely audible to anyone other than them "I liked it~" and quicker than Peanut could react, she moved forward and connected their lips once again, her paw moving to rub circles in the sweet dog's chest fur as they both closed their eyes to enjoy this tender moment more than they did last night.

Peanut was initially shocked, but did not complain, or try to reject the kiss, he allowed his paws to come around his cat, resting them at the small of her back, gently rubbing massaging circles in it as he allowed himself the chance to truly enjoy his cat as he never had before.

The magical moment was broken by a high pitched squealing noise resounding from the very doorway in which Grape had entered last night. Standing there with her hands clasped at her chest was none other than Jill Sandwich. The embracing pets mother.

Quickly, Grape and Peanut broke off their kiss, though it was obvious that neither truly wanted to, and they both scrambled to either side of the couch, a blush present on both of their faces.

"H-Hey, mom…" spoke Grape, being able to control her voice better than Peanut in these kind of situations. Peanut had folded hi tail over his lap and had found great interest in the tip as he tried to look everywhere but his mother

"EARL!" yelled the human, calling for her husband to join them in the living room. When he eventually did, he looked at the two and then to his wife, silently enquiring what was going on. "I just caught these two Kissing one another! Not on the cheek, but on the lips!"

She blurted out to her husband, with a neutral face that showed neither pride or disgust. Earl looked at the two and then hummed, shaking his head and looking down.

"D-Dad, I'm sorry.." started Peanut, but he stopped when he saw his father reaching for his wallet and passing his wife a ten dollar bill. He and the feline looked at one another, unsure of what was happening before a grin split the faces of their parents in two as they both ran to their pets to pull them into a tight hug

"I knew it! I knew it! I told you so, Earl!" squealed Jill, waving the ten dollars around as she crushed the life out of Grape with her hug that felt more like a death grip. Earl chuckled as he pet his boys head, brimming with pride "yeah, I guess you did, don't spend that all in one place." he said, referring to the ten dollars he had managed to lose, betting his wife the two were not a couple.

The pets looked at one another and then took a deep breath before whining out "Mo-o-o-m! D-a-a-a-a-d!" the two humans released the pets and took a step back before chuckling and nodding to one another.

"Right, of course, we best let the lovebirds get back to what they were doing" Earl commented before receiving a quick elbow to the ribs and a hand dragging him out of the living room, leaving two very flustered pets on their own.

"Well, that's not good…" said Peanut, looking at Grape from his side of the couch. His tail started to pick up in a little wag as he tilted his head "Does this mean we are…?" he asked, not sure of the answer he would receive.

Grape sighed and looked him in the eyes "I don't know, Nutty… I'm still with Max, as much as I may not want to be… I need to talk thing over with him. As much as he has been a jerk lately… It's not right to not let him know how I feel about my relationship with him." she said, her eyes falling to her lap where her paws were fiddling with her fur, trying not to look at her Peanut who would surely be very disappointed.

Disappointed he was, but he understood, she was still Max's Girlfriend and he couldn't change that. He looked as though he was about to cry when he felt a paw on his own. Grape had closed the distance between them, and with a gentle smile, she nuzzled into his neck and brought his paw to rest on her lap.

"But that doesn't mean I didn't enjoy that. Quite the contrary, pup. You can kiss like the best of them~" she managed with a slight giggle. It was true, Peanut was very adept at kissing for someone who hadn't even done as much as hold hands with a girl.

A blush filled his face as he looked at the feline cuddling into him. "Heh… I waited a long time to do that." he admitted, rubbing her paw as they held one another tenderly.

"You practiced on your Teddy, didn't you~?" Grape asked teasingly, referring to the feline plush she had gotten him for christmas. It never left his bedside, and was always with him when he slept.

"N-NO!" he cried out, being unable to hide his blush. He brought his paw up to rub his neck and chuckled "M-Maybe…" he confessed, looking down at the lavender cat, expecting to receive a judgemental look. He found none of that however, just two eyes filled with admiration for him.

"Peanut? I may still need to work things out with Max and officially break it off, but… I just want you to know…" she gently kissed his cheek, resulting in a gentle clinking noise of their collar tags connecting, before replacing her head back where it was in the crevice of his neck.

Peanut's smile was undeniable as he sighed happily and wrapped a paw around his feline companion, pulling her against him.

"I love you too."


End file.
